


arrows and feathers

by Rupzydaisy



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27045709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rupzydaisy/pseuds/Rupzydaisy
Summary: But when he gets cornered fighting with his spear already thrown and out of reach, stuck in man on the ground, Lykon resigns himself to being bloodied, along with the foreseeable pain that comes with it. Steeling his courage, he raises his one sword to fend of three more.Only things don't happen as he expects.There's a sudden flurry of arrows that rain down in tight arcs causing his foes' limbs seize up. The clashing of their blades ceases against his stops so suddenly that they fall to the ground and leave him bracing himself with his sword hand raised aloft for a blow that never lands.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Lykon & Quynh | Noriko, Lykon & Quynh | Noriko
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	arrows and feathers

**Author's Note:**

> lykon headcanon week - day five: relationship with quynh  
> headcanon: that quynh also watches his back in battle (just from further afield) and lykon promises to pay her back in nicely fletched arrows.

Andromache watches their backs in battle. It has been a said and unsaid rule ever since they had found each other. She had laid claim to the responsibility from the very start, and neither were able to pry it from her. 

It also means it's a long-standing joke and a source of endless jabs and jibes during their wanderings. 

While Lykon stays on foot with a sword or spear in hand, she prefers to ride on horseback, tearing through lines of soldiers and expertly cutting through a first charge with her double-bladed axe. Her war cries punctuate the air whenever she swoops in and he hears the awe inspiring noise however near or far he is, having taken a sword to the chest or neck in his distraction far more often than he’d like to admit.

That too is a joke shared over their campfires, that while Andromache watches his back, he should _at the very least,_ keep focused to see what is coming towards him. 

And Lykon looks up to her, he does, because she is battle experienced with any weapon that finds its way into her hands. It is the timbre of her voice and the leaping lion emblazoned on her armour and how she can look across the lines and come up with a dozen strategies that could advantage them. 

But when he gets cornered fighting with his spear already thrown and out of reach, stuck in man on the ground, Lykon resigns himself to being bloodied, along with the foreseeable pain that comes with it. Steeling his courage, he raises his one sword to fend of three more. 

Only things don't happen as he expects. 

There's a sudden flurry of arrows that rain down in tight arcs causing his foes' limbs seize up. The clashing of their blades ceases against his stops so suddenly that they fall to the ground and leave him bracing himself with his sword hand raised aloft for a blow that never lands. 

Which is when he spies Quynh racing forwards on foot. Her clothes are less dirtied than his, but her boots sink into the churned mud as she makes her way across. 

She fires off a few more arrows to thin out her path to him. With her keen eye and an infallible accuracy, every arrow sinks into its intended target. Andromache may have the heart of a lion and the claws of a wildcat when fighting barehand, but it is Quynh who strikes fast and quick. She acts with the deadliness of a pit viper when needed. 

By the time she reaches him, her grin is wide and her eyes are full of relief. Lykon takes the moment of respite to pick up a second sword, rolling out his wrist to test the balance and weight. 

"Ah, your arrows flew straight and true. Are you going to put Andromache out of a job?"

"No chance! You know she looks out for you." 

When Lykon looks up from his new sword, he sees her eyes are looking past him. He turns to follow her line of sight, and they both watch Andromache thunder past on her black horse, dark hair flying out behind her, swinging her axe low to catch a man about to throw a spear in their direction. 

The turbulence she causes leads to more chaos, and Quynh's eyes glance around quickly as the flux of battle changes before clasping at his shoulder, a lighter hold than Andromache’s grip, but no less sure. 

"Let's finish this and bring some peace to this village. But remember, you owe me arrows now." She matches his toothy grin with one of her own as the clash of blades and the cries of men rise up around them again. 

Lykon laughs, despite himself and his surroundings. "I'll fletch them with the finest hawk and goose feathers!” 

Wiping his hands on his trousers, he gives her a final nod and darts off towards the throng of warriors attempting and _failing_ to unhorse Andromache. As he runs, Lykon hears a few more whistles of arrows flying through the air around him, and feels another man fall before his sword gets the chance to strike his back. 

He doesn't need to turn to see Quynh watching over him, he always knows that she'll be there. 

**Author's Note:**

> from my grand total of 10 mins research it seems like geese feathers do alright as natural fletchings especially because they’re strong and waterproof, and hawk - while it doesn’t seem like they were as commonly used - would also work


End file.
